The embodiments described herein relate in general to the field of encryption. More specifically, the embodiments described herein relate to a key exchange process.
Various methods exist in support of electronic data security. Cryptography is the transformation of intelligible information into an apparently unintelligible form in order to conceal the information from unauthorized parties. Cryptography is used for various purposes, such as to protect information transmitted through communications networks or stored on data storage units. Cryptographic procedures can be used not only to protect the privacy of data but also the integrity of data. A hardware security module (HSM) is a device with a secure boundary that meets one or more of a variety of different security standards for intrusion detection and maintenance of secure data. Common cryptographic architecture (CCA) is a programming interface to the HSM and is noted for achieving secure processing of transactions using secret keys and for the management of secret keys.
The cryptographic transformation of data is ordinarily defined by a selected algorithm, or procedure, under the control of a key. Since the algorithm is normally public knowledge, protection of the transformed, or enciphered, data depends on the secrecy of the key.